Periodically I search for the term BookLocker to see what’s being said about us on line. I recently ran across this “review” of our services:

TopTenReviews.com

I remember giving this interview, but I can’t believe what this guy wrote. In particular, this:

“But, the downfall of Booklocker.com is its complete lack of additional publishing and marketing services and the fact that we could never talk to a live person. Not once. All communication had to be made through email. It was hard enough to get the information we needed for this review, we can’t imagine what it would be like to try and publish a book with these people.”

What a load of bull. I keep all emails I send just for cases like this.

On 11/10/2005 I received this email from their reviewer (I’ve blotted out his contact info for privacy):

FROM: *****@toptenreviews.com
TO: help-request@booklocker.com
SUBJECT: HELP REQUEST - none

11/10/05 5:56:27

I am a reviewer for TopTenREVIEWS and am creating a review site on Online Book Publishing services.

Booklocker is a site we’d like to include in our review and I’d like to speak with someone in your company to receive further information and make sure I have all of the right information, so that I might present the most accurate picture of your business.

Will you please contact me either by phone directly or send a telephone number which I can use to contact you?

Unfortunately, I will not be available on Friday, Nov. 11th.

Thanks so much,
B**** C********
(***) ***-**** (I work from home)
*****@toptenreviews.com
TopTenReviews.com

————–

I, as always, promptly replied to him. I told him I can’t do a phone call, but if he emailed me the questions, I’d turn them around in a day. I did.

Three days later he writes me back and says the following:

From: “B**** C********” <*****@toptenreviews.com>
To: “‘richard at booklocker’”
Date: Mon, 14 Nov 2005 09:45:17 -0700

Richard,

Thanks for your prompt response on this.

B****

Notice what it says there - “Thanks for your prompt response”.

It is true that we don’t take phone calls. But we do answer our email promptly. We don’t leave anyone hanging.

So TopTenReviews.com lied in our review. And for what end, I don’t know.

I do know that on 11-30-2005 at 2:00 PM Eastern Time, I received another email from TopTenReviews.com - this time from a VP:

DATE: 2005-11-30 14:00:46
FROM: ****@toptenreviews.com
TO: help-request@booklocker.com
SUBJECT: HELP REQUEST -

Hello,

Does Booklocker offer an affiliate program? We are interested in promoting and selling your products from our review site. Can the appropriate person please contact me directly.

Thanks,

M*** E*******
Vice President
www.toptenreviews.com

****@toptenreviews.com
1-801-***-**** (Direct Office)
1-801-***-**** (Cell)

The guy wanted us to pay a referral fee for people he sent to us. As a policy we don’t pay out referral fees, or accept referral fees for anything we recommend. We want all our business practices to be transparent to our customers.

I can’t help but wonder if we got a bad review because we wouldn’t pay.

If you want an honest assessment of POD companies, I’d suggest getting Mark Levine’s book, “The Fine Print“.

Disclaimer: We sell the ebook version of it for him on our WritersWeekly.com site, but Mark placed it with us after he wrote the book and ranked our service. And he gets no special deals or consideration.